Chapter 314

~CARTER~

I was pacing from left to right. I couldn’t get Scarlett out of my f*****g mind. She was all I could think about. Clara’s earlier slap wasn’t even on my mind.

“What’s wrong with you?” Alaric asks as he walks into the living room.

Was he suddenly speaking to me again?

“I thought you weren’t speaking to me.” I confront him.

He looks guilty and avoids eye contact, “Look, I’m sorry about that night. I don’t know why I got so worked up. It’s not like I don’t know your ways and how you deal with your issues. I should have stayed out of it. What you do with Scarlett or Clara shouldn’t be my concern. I was trying to look out for you; I didn’t want you to make a big mess of your life.”

I nod, “I’m over it.” I assure him. “You’re my older brother. You can correct me if you think I’m doing something wrong.”

He looks pleasantly surprised by my response. “That’s good to know, Carter.”

I glance at him as I walk over to the sofa, “I know you probably don’t want to talk about this, but just in case I’m wrong, tell me, are you finally divorcing Nicole?”

He looks uncomfortable with my question, and I immediately take it back, “Forget it. You don’t have to answer that.”

He shook his head and sipped the beer in his hand, “No, it’s okay. Talking about this is something I have to get used to.

Everyone’s already asking me questions about my marriage. I believe the word has already spread everywhere. I wanted to keep it hidden, but it isn’t something I can hide anymore.”

He leans against the wall with his eyes on the ceiling, “I tried my best to make my marriage work. I never wanted to have a divorce. I was positive I could keep Nicole happy for the rest of our lives. I never wanted to hurt her. I was dishonest from the start. I’m the reason she hates me. I plan on giving her the divorce she wants; everything’s being finalized.”

I can tell how difficult all of this is for him. He doesn’t try to hide his pain from me, and I’m glad he’s letting his genuine emotions out. That way, he would be able to heal eventually.

“What about you?” He asks. “I don’t think you’re messing around with Scarlett. I should have known on that night that you are better than that. Drunk or not, you wanted to be there with her.”

He pauses for a second before he adds, “You like her, don’t you?”

I tried to act unbothered by his question, but it surprised me. I didn’t think anyone could tell that I genuinely liked Scarlett.

My jaw clenches as I try to look at anything but my brother.

“It’s okay.” He assured me. “I don’t plan on telling anyone if you’re worried about that. I just wanted to let you know that I’m here for you if you ever need someone to talk to.”

I take a deep breath and stand up, “I think like is a small word to describe what I feel for Scarlett. There are things I’m willing to do for her that I wouldn’t ever think about doing for someone else. I’m scared, no, I’m terrified. I know I can never have anything solid with her. I know our life demands that we stay single; it’s why we were never blessed with mates. I know Scarlett is the closest to a mate I’ll ever have. But she could never be mine.”

Alaric places a hand on my shoulder, “Don’t let my failed marriage stop you from having something special.”

“It’s easier said Alaric. Scarlett doesn’t want me. She doesn’t trust me. She thinks I’m this horrible person who purposefully hurt her sister.” I informed him. “There’s no chance for us, but still, I wake up each day excited at the thought of seeing her. It’s hard to explain.”

He nods, “You don’t need to explain to me. I know what it’s like to love someone and know you can’t be with her. I feel that way with Nicole every day. Knowing the person you love hates you is enough to make you hate life. But we can’t give up; we need to keep fighting for the things that we love.”

Keep fighting? For the things that we love?

But did I love Scarlett? Or was I only attracted to her? I knew I didn’t just like her; I knew it was more than that, but I wasn’t sure if I could say yet that I was in love with her.

All I knew was that I felt like I would die if I weren’t near her.

That’s it. I didn’t care about the consequences. I was going to her house. . . tonight, and no one would stop me.